Oussama Assaidi
'Oussama Assaidi '(born 15 August 1988) is a Moroccan international footballer who played as a forward for Liverpool from 2012 until 2015. Liverpool career On 16 August 2012, the Liverpool official website released a statement announcing that they had agreed a deal to sign winger Assaidi from Dutch club SC Heerenveen, reportedly for a fee of around £3,000,000. Assaidi completed a medical the next day and put pen-to-paper on a long-term deal. He was handed the number 11 shirt for the 2012-13 season, last worn by Maxi Rodriguez. Upon signing, Assaidi said "I'm very happy to play for this big club. I had offers from other big clubs but I've been waiting for this moment. When I watch Liverpool it's always a good atmosphere, the fans are fantastic and I'm happy to be here." Manager Brendan Rodgers said of his new signing: "We're delighted with the signing. He fits our style perfectly, he's an exciting player who is very good in one versus one situations and I think he's a player that will excite the crowd. We're not expecting too much too early, he needs time to adapt but we're delighted he's chosen to come here over a number of other clubs." The Moroccan winger made his debut for Liverpool against Swiss side Young Boys in a 5-3 win on 20 September 2012. He played his first domestic game for the club in a 2-1 victory over West Brom on 26 September, assisting Nuri Sahin's winner. He then made his bow in the League as a second half substitute in the 5-2 away victory over Norwich on 29 September. On 25 October 2012, Assaidi played the duration of Liverpool's 1-0 Europa League victory over Anzhi Makhachkala- his performance gaining much praise from the Liverpool faithful. Despite the early promise, Assaidi struggled to get much game time with the first team. After a substitute appearance against Tottenham on 28 November 2012, he had to wait until 21 February 2013 for another game- this coming in the Europa League against Zenit. This was in part due to the Africa Cup of Nations in early 2013, however there has also been speculation that the player was unfavoured by Brendan Rodgers. After seeing out the season as a bit-part player, rarely even making the substitute's bench, it was anticipated that Assaidi would move on in the 2013 summer transfer window. On 27 August 2013, it was confirmed that Assaidi was to be loaned out to Premier League side Stoke City, for the 2013-14 season. Following the conclusion of the season, Stoke attempted to sign Assaidi permanently but, despite agreeing a fee with Liverpool, failed to agree personal terms with the player. On 1 September 2014, Stoke sealed a second season-long loan deal for the winger, with the Potters reportedly paying a £1,000,000 fee. In January 2015, Stoke confirmed that Assaidi's loan deal had been terminated. On 12 January 2015, Liverpool confirmed Assaidi had moved to Al-Ahli Dubai, reportedly for a fee of £4,700,000. Stats External links * *Oussama Assaidi's profile on liverpoolfc.com * Assaidi Assaidi